Why you're probably drinking A LOT more than you realise

Current recommendations are that women should drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week (2-3 a day) and men no more than 21 per week (or 3-4 per day). But how many of us actually know how much that is, really?

We used to refer to a unit as a small glass of wine, a half pint of beer or a single spirit. The problem is, beers and wines are significantly stronger today than they used to be. Plus, home poured drinks are nearly always larger than a standard measure. So how do you figure out if you're actually drinking a safe amount or binging without realising it?

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The most straightforward way to calculate your units is to look at the percent of alcohol of what you're drinking. That's the number of units in a litre of that fluid. This will take a bit of basic maths, but it's the best way to get a real picture on how much you're drinking.

Let's keep it fairly simple: If you're drinking 12% wine (but be aware that many wines are significantly stronger than this), that means there are 12 units in a litre of that wine. A bottle of wine is ¾ of a litre, which means there are 9 units in a 75dcl (750ml) bottle. If you're pouring a glass of wine at home, it's likely to be 250ml (a third of the bottle) or 3 units rather than 1 unit, as you may have assumed. Not only is that the upper limit of what you should have in a day, but if you do it everyday, you'll be exceeding the recommended limits by 50%. Do it consistently, and you're putting your health at risk.

"What's considered 'a binge' is probably a lot less than you think"

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Another thing I'm often asked is if it's okay to "save up" units and have them all in one go. The answer is categorically no. Binge drinking is thought to be much worse for you than drinking smaller amounts more frequently, and a binge is probably a lot less than you think. A binge is defined as twice as many units in one sitting as recommended, so that's just 6 units in one sitting for a woman and 8 for a man. So if you have two big glasses of wine at home, experts would consider that a binge. Bet you never looked at those wind-down nights in with bottle of Pinot as a binge. The best thing to do? Stay within daily recommended limits, and give your liver at least two alcohol free days a week.

The liver is an incredible organ that can recover and regenerate, but it's hard to know when it's under strain. Drinking to excess can cause a fatty infiltration of the liver, and there may be no signs or symptoms whatsoever. If you stop or cut back drinking at this stage, your liver will recover but if you have no idea and continue to drink excessively, the liver may become inflamed with alcoholic hepatitis. If you do develop symptoms (not everyone will), they may include fever, a yellow tinge to the skin or the eyes, sickness, abdominal pain and fatigue. Amazingly the liver can still recover at this stage if you stop drinking, but if these changes go unnoticed and you continue to drink, you are at risk of cirrhosis of the liver. This is irreversible liver damage that can lead to liver failure or even liver cancer. Heavy drinkers are also more prone to thin bones (osteoporosis) and inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

But even in less extreme cases, simply drinking above recommended limits regularly increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and dementia. It also increases your risk of some other cancers such as breast, mouth, throat, oesophagus and stomach cancer. Of course you can still enjoy alcohol, as long as you *really* know how much you're drinking, and stay within those safe limits.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.